Holmdel Service Station Wants To Offer A Mini-Mart

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By Joseph Sapia
HOLMDEL ­– For more than 25 years, Tony Crisalli has operated the sole gas station and automotive repair shop in the heart of Holmdel’s historic Village section, at 46 Main Street and Route 520/Holmdel Road.
Three years ago, when ExxonMobil was looking to get rid of company-owned gasoline stations, Crisalli bought the property.
Now, he is looking to change the business – replacing the repair service with a mini-mart, while continuing to pump gasoline.
Although the business has operated there since the 1950s, it would not comply with today’s Business-1 zoning. Some think Crisalli’s plan to change the business would be detrimental to the Village, an area of century-old churches, homes, real estate businesses, small commercial buildings and the large Vonage campus.
The plans for the property, about 8/10 of an acre, include converting the approximately 1,400-square-foot building’s two repair bays into the store. About 300 square feet would be added to the building’s east side to accommodate a refrigerator for the store.
Striped parking spaces would be added, along with a canopy over the gasoline pumps, said Crisalli, 64, a township resident.
Crisalli seeks variances from the township Zoning Board for such things as allowing a gasoline station and convenience store in the B-1 zone and allowing less-than-minimum setbacks from the roadway right-of-ways for things such as a sign and the canopy.
Michael Rauchwerk, who lives in the Willow Road area about a mile from Holmdel Village Exxon, is concerned how changes will affect the Village.
“It’s a nice center of town,” Rauchwerk said. “Businesses close at 5 p.m. (Then) no traffic. I’m not sure how it will fit in with Holmdel Village. It’s a rather small property.”
In the approximately 30 years Rauchwerk has lived in the area, the Village “hasn’t changed a lot.”
“The whole downtown area has kind of a look,” said Rauchwerk.
The property is not well-maintained now, but now it has no canopy, Rauchwerk said. The canopy, which will extend almost to the road right of way, was a specific concern of Rauchwerk’s.
“The property is basically staying the same,” Crisalli said. “The asphalt is going to be brand-new.”
The building will get a new roof and the east wall will only be expanded a few feet, Crisalli said.
“The same building cleaned up and made to look better.”
As for the canopy, it protects workers and pumps from the elements, Crisalli said.
“It does help protect our investment,” Crisalli said. “If self-service (gasoline pumping) goes through, how many people would want to pump their own (in bad weather)?”
When Exxon owned the gasoline station, it operated seven days a week from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Crisalli said. Now, he said, it operates about 6 a.m. to 7:30 or 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. If the zoners approve the changes, according to Crisalli, the business hours would be an estimated 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
If Crisalli’s plans are approved, he would no longer do automotive repairs at the site. Instead, his plan is to move the repairs elsewhere in the Holmdel area.
There is no timetable on opening the mini-mart, Crisalli said.
“We’re just going step by step,” Crisalli said.
The Zoning Board began hearing the application May 4. It will continue the hearing June 1, 8 p.m. at Town Hall.